Letter: Bike lane a smart move for Albany

Published 6:02 pm, Wednesday, September 16, 2015

I have owned my home in the Park South neighborhood in Albany for almost 30 years. One of the realities that one confronts while living here is that many of our major streets are tricky to navigate.

The behavior of some motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians challenge the safety of the users of our streets and the well-being of our community. Increased awareness of this issue, proactive outreach by the police, and now the implementation of red-light cameras are all actions that are moving Albany toward increased walkability and safety. The proposed protected bike lane on Madison Avenue would be a complementary step in this process.

I rarely now use my bicycle around my community on Madison Avenue because I feel unprotected from distracted motorists. The implementation of a protected bike lane would change that. They have been implemented in many cities, and the overall economic benefits to the adjacent businesses have been significant.

A protected bike lane on Madison Avenue will support a thriving Albany and attract new residents, many of whom are choosing a lifestyle that includes using a bicycle to get to and from work, rather than owning a car. Many of these people are coming to the area to work at the rapidly expanding nanotech facilities that radiate from Fuller Road. A protected bike lane increases the likelihood that such people would choose to live in neighborhoods adjacent to Madison Avenue, which further supports a thriving Albany.

Protected bike lanes work in snowy cities like Montreal and Syracuse and can work here, too. Let's do this.